LOCK HAVEN -As they say in the world of sports, the match isn't over until the Fat Lady sings her song.
Although she was warming up her vocal cords when Shepherd took a 2-0 lead over Lock Haven University Tuesday night at Thomas Field House, she never got to sing for the Rams as the Lady Eagles tightened things up to win the final three sets for a 3-2 win in a non-conference volleyball match.
"We started a little slower than we would have liked to, but it is not how you start, it is how you finish," LHU head coach Dan Kreiger said. "We did some things we needed to do down the stretch and in the early sets. We didn't stay as aggressive as I thought we could have, but give them credit. Shepherd put a nice game plan together and they came to play."
Article Photos
NATE?WILSON/THE?EXPRESS
Lock Haven’s Erin Walsh digs a ball against Shepherd yesterday in Lock Haven. The Lady Bald Eagles defeated Shepherd, 3-2.
For more photos, see cu.lockhaven.com.
Leading 4-3 in the first set, the Lady Rams ran off five straight points to go up 9-3 and they never looked back.
After dropping the first, the Lady Eagles came out smoking in the second set as they scored the first six points and eight out of the first ten.
Still leading by the half dozen at 17-11, the Lady Eagles saw the Rams battle back to tie the score at 23-all.
Unfortunately for the Lady Eagles, the Rams came back to score four of the final six points for a 27-25 win to go up 2-0.
"We definitely thought we should have won that second one," Kreiger said. "We had a good lead and couldn't keep it. We have had a little trouble with that this year where we are getting good leads and not holding them. We have had a lead in almost every game we played so far. Right now, it seems as though we get a little hesitant at times and that is something we have to work on. We are an aggressive team and that isn't the way we should be playing. Shepherd wasn't out here to worry about losing. They came to play and gave us all we could handle."
Unable to take care of business in the first two sets, the Lady Eagles weren't about to be the victims of a sweep as they took the third set 25-14.
Holding on to an 11-7 lead, the Lady Eagles scored eight unanswered points for a 19-7 before putting it away down the stretch.
In the fourth set, the score was deadlocked at 7-all, but from that point on, LHU outscored the Rams 18-9 for the 25-16 win and sent the match to the fifth and final set to decide the issue.
In the fifth set, the Lady Eagles kept the pedal to the medal as they ran away from the Rams 15-5 to win the deciding set for a 3-2 win in the match.
"We have this plan in our mind and on paper that we just don't want to lose at home," Kreiger said. "When Shepherd put us in that position where we could have lost at home, these guys became determined. We played like we thought we could play in those last three sets. We came out and dominated the last three (sets), put some good points on the board and it was a nice win for us."
With the win, the Lady Eagles move to 5-6 overall. Their next action will be Friday when they play crossover matches against Edinboro (11:30 a.m.) and Gannon (7:30).
